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In particular, tlie Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind 

 long engaged his sympathy and unwearied labor. He was elected a 

 manager in 1839, served on its most important committees, and was 

 finally elected President in 18G3, holding that office at his decease. He 

 was rarely absent from the managers' meetings, and presided only a few 

 weeks before his death. His tender, affectionate manner made him 

 greatly loved by the pupils, while his intelligence and the soundness of 

 his judgment secured the esteem and confidence of the officers and of his 

 fellow managers. 



For some years before his death, Mr. Peale was greatly interested in 

 that branch of Archteology which relates to the so-called Stone Age. He 

 determined to make a collection of implements illustrating that age, and 

 by energy and patience succeeded in accumulating over twelve hundred 

 specimens, many of them very choice. The most of these were gathered 

 by himself at the ancient homes of the Shawnees and Delawares, around 

 the Water Gap where he spent many autumns ; others were secured by 

 exchange or purchase. These have all been arranged for easy examina- 

 tion on a plan devised by himself, and full of his characteristic ingenuity 

 and taste, and he has left behind a manuscript catalogue with an intro- 

 duction and full descriptive details which leave nothing further to be 

 desired. It affords me great satisfaction to add that this valuable collec- 

 tion, the latest labor of Mr. Peale, is to be presented to this Society. 



I have left to the close, what perhaps should have been earliest men- 

 tioned, all reference to Mr. Peale's association with our own Society. 

 He was elected a member October 18, 1833, and ever after took a constant 

 and active interest in our proceedings. He was for many years one of 

 the Curators, and filled that office at his death. Our published minutes 

 show many communications from him, on a variety of subjects, but of 

 late these were mostly relative to the stone age, on which he was always 

 heard with the interest inspired by his enthusiasm and fulness of knowledge. 



Mr. Peale was twice married. By his first marriage, which took place 

 in his minority, he had a daughter, his only child, who still survives. 

 His second wife was a niece of Stephen Girard. She lives to lament the 

 death of her husband, and I may not, therefore, refer more particularly 

 to those accomplishments and virtues by which' she crowned his happiness, 

 and made delightful his home. 



I have thus far considered for the most part the outer life of Mr. Peale, 

 by which he became known to the i^ublic at large, but I cannot conclude 

 without some reference to his inner life as it was disclosed to his more in- 

 timate friends. These, while they admired his varied knowledge, saw 

 upon a close inspection other traits which made still more excellent the 

 character of the man. Of these I may mention his gentleness and loving 

 tenderness to all, but especially to the young. With children he was a 

 universal favorite. He never wearied in contributing to their amusement 

 or instruction. And this was no light burden on his time, for a toy from 

 Mr. Peale was not such as comes from the shops, but all that he ac- 

 A. P. s. — VOL. XI — 48e 



